Upsetting apparatus



Jan. 5, 1954 Filed June 27, 1952 L. F. KNIGHT UPSETTING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet l LORNE F. KN/CHT Jan. 5, 1954 L. F. KNIGHT UPSETTING APPARATUS 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1952 LORNE F. KNIGHT ZZZ/M510 Jan. 5, 1954 L. F. KNIGHT 2,665,359

UPSETTING APPARATUS Filed June 27, 1952 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 LORNE F. KN/CHT wjm A i Jan. 5, 1954 L. F. KNIGHT UPSETTING APPARATUS 6 Shee cS-Sheet 5 Filed June 27, 1952 LORNE F. KNIGHT WW L. F. KNIGHT UPSETTING APPARATUS Jan. 5, 1954 6 SheetsSheet 6 Filed June 27, 1952 LORN'E F. KN/ @jm Patented Jan. 5, 1954 UPSETTING APPARATUS Lorne F. Knight, Toront 0, Ontario, Canada, as-

signor to Massey-Harris Company Limited,

Toronto, Ontario,

Canada Application June 27, 1952, Serial No. 295,931

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in upsetting machines of the electrical resistance heating class.

The conventional electrical resistance heating upsetting machine comprises two movable spaced apart heads, one of which constitutes a ram, the other of which acts as a head or anvil against which the workpiece may be upset and which serves as one electrical contact to the workpiece. There is an intermediate contact device in the form of a fixed guide clamp through which the workpiece may slide during upsetting operations.

It has been found that such prior machines do not afiord sufiicient control over the contours of the upset end particularly in respect to the form of the curve extending from the enlarged portion of the head of the upset workpiece to the shank, hereinafter referred to as the curve of the wrist portion of the upset end.

It is the particular object of the present invention to provide an upsetting machine wherein the wrist curve of an upset workpiece is reproducible in a number of similar workpieces.

It is another object of the invention to provide the improvement in upsetting apparatus of two spaced apart heads, one only of which is movable and which provides a ram, the other being a fixed head carrying an anvil against which one electrical contact is made by a rod 1 being upset thereagainst, the second electrical contact being made to the rod by means of an intermediate clamp movable with respect to the anvil during upsetting operations to control the form of the upset.

Having regard to the foregoing, the invention generally consists of an upsetting machine comprising: a machine bed, a fixed head mounted on the bed and having an anvil face constituting one electrical contact, means for supporting the workpiece in axial alignment with the head for upsetting one end of the workpiece against the anvil thereof, ram means for moving the workpiece axially in a direction toward the anvil, a sliding clamp including means for making separate electrical contact to the workpiece, means for supplying electrical current to the clamp and the anvil to cause heating of that portion of the workpiece extending therebetween to a deforming temperature, and means for controllably moving the slidable clam during the movement of the workpiece and in predetermined manner to control the form of the wrist portion of the upset being formed on the against the anvil.

end of the workpiece The invention will be appreciated in more detail by reference to the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating one preferred form of embodiment and disclosed in respect to associated details in no way intended to be construed in any limiting sense as regards the intended scope of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of an upsetting machine according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the machine of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an hydraulic schematic diagram of the control system for operating the machine;

Figure 4 is view 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is View 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an elevation of the left hand end of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure '7 is View 1'! of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a perspective view clamp of the invention;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the split liner parts of the sliding clamp of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is view l0| 0 of Figure 1;

Figure 11 is view H-| l of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the upsetting machine of the invention comprises a machine bed 10 formed of base casting ll carrying upstanding supporting walls 12 and I3 and I4, with an upper bed casting I5 set thereon, the assembly being fastened together with bolts or other suitable fastening means.

The head end 16 of the machine carries a fixed head i! comprising a supporting bracket l8 rigidly fastened, such as by bolts 19, to the bed I 5 and. carrying in it through its bore 20, an anvil bar 2! threaded as at 22 and 23 for adjustability through the locking screw collars 24 and '25. The anvil bar 21 carries a longitudinal slot adapted to receive the key bar 21 projecting thereinto from the interior of the bore of the supporting bracket 18. A locking screw collar 24 has indexing means 28 thereon adapted to indicate the extension of the anvil bar 29 from the supporting bracket 18 and thus the placement of the anvil face 29 of the anvil head 39 of the anvil bar.

The anvil end 3! of the anvil bar 20 carries a fitting 32 fixed thereto forming a part of the anvil head 30 fixed to the anvil bar by means of screws 33, and having a centering opening 34. An anvil electrode casting is mounted on the fitting 32 by means of bolts 36 having a centering stud 31 seating in the centering recess 34 of of the sliding 3 the fitting 32. The electrode casting 85 is insulated electrically from the fitting 32 by insulation 31a (see Figure 2).

An enlarged circular recess in the form of a shallow socket 38 is formed in the outward end of anvil electrode casting and is adapted to receive the anvil fitting 39 in such manner that the inner face 40 of the anvil fitting is in sp relation to the base 48a of the socket 38. The surface 40 is adapted to be cooled by cooling water passing through the passage M of the anvil electrode casting to the inner face 48, an exit passage 42 being provided for the cooling water from this inner face. The lower end 43 of the anvil electrode casting is bolted as at 44 to a free end 45 of the flexible lead 46 of the low voltage high current secondary 41 of the transformer 48 supported by the base casting II.

The flexible lead 46 permits movement of the anvil head between the limits indicated by the dimension all as indicated in Figure 2. The anvil fitting 39 carries an anvil block 49, the same being formed of a high temperature steel alloy and being press fit into the anvil socket 50 of the fitting 39.

It will be apparent from Figure 6 that the machine bed I5 is characterized by a longitudinally extending opening 5! having recessed slides 52 and 53 thereon extending the full length of the bed. Referring also to Figures 1, 2, '7, 8 and 9, a sliding clamp 54 is supported in the slides 52 and 53 by the slidable mounting 55 riding thereon and movable under action of the lever linkage 56 operated by the double acting hydraulic cylinder 51. The slidable mounting 55 has a vertical slot 58 therein and is adapted to support the clamped body 59 fastened thereto by means of bolts 68 and having a downwardly projecting integral part BI adapted to be bolted to the other flexible lead 62 of the secondary 41 of the transformer 48 such as by the bolts 63. The clamp body 59 is cooled by cooling water passing therethrough by way of a passage 64 extending from the lowermost end of the part 6| to a point 84a adjacent the lower jaw 84b formed therein. A flexible connection by way of a flexible tube is made from this point in the lower jaw to a suitable entry point in the upper jaw 85 and a suitable outlet point provided thereon (not shown) The upper jaw 65 is pivotally mounted as at 66 on the lower jaw and is actuated in its clamping action by means of the double acting hydraulic cylinder 81 pivoted at 68 on the forward end of the upper jaw 85 and pivotally connected at its other end as at 89 to the lever arm I8 pivoted on the fixed bracket 'II of the slidable mounting 55. The intermediate link I2 extending from an intermediate point on the lever arm 10 to the rear end of the upper clamp 65 effects a more desirable stress distribution in the parts of the clamp in the clamping action as compared with those stress conditions which arise if this link is omitted.

As shown in more detail in Figures 8 and 9, the lower'jaw 84b in conjunction with the upper jaw 65, forms a bore by the surfaces I3 and 14 adapted to receive the liner parts I5 and I6 respectively. These liner parts carry locking flanges I1 and I8 adapted to lock in the recesses 19 and of the upper and lower jaws respectively. Bolts 8| and 82 (Figure 2) hold the liners within the jaws, the jaws being guided in clamping alignment by the key 83 which is adapted to fit into the opposed recesses 84 and 85 at the outer ends of the jaws.

The liners I5 and 16 are preferably of electrode bronze and when brought into clamping relationship define by their clamping surfaces 86 and 81, a bore adapted to tightly grip a rod to be upset.

It will be apparent, however, that since it is intended that the anvil head remain stationary, the sliding clamp 54 is movable longitudinally of the rod while the rod is clamped thereby.

The mechanism for moving the rod to be upset through the sliding clamp toward the anvil is shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, 10 and 11 and comprises a double acting hydraulic double arm cylinder 88 fixed in the bracket 89 bolted as at 99 to the tail end 9| of the bed I5. The limit screws 92 of conventional form are mounted on either side of the cylinder 88 in the bracket 89 determining the limits of movement of the ram bar 93 in advancing and retarding motion. At the outermost end 94 of the ram bar 93 when latter is in its retracted position, an end supporting bracket 95 is provided and is adjustably fixed to the bed I5 by means of bolts 98 and 9'! pressing upon the locking plates 98 and 99. The end supporting bracket 95 carries a bushing I00 in the hinged jaws H, the bushing being preferably of a bearing metal through which the ram bar 93 may slide without undue wear.

A travel bracket IE2 is provided near the cylinder 88 and is fastened to the ram bar by thread means I93 (see Figure 2).

Referring also to Figure 11, it will be apparcut that the travel bracket I02 is slidable on the shoes IilSa and IE4 in the slides 53 and 52 respectively of the machine bed I5 and carries a swingable tripping finger I85 resting by gravity on the control slide I86, the latter being slidable in the longitudinal slot I87 for control purposes to cause actuation of, or to be actuated by, the control lever I88 (Figures 1 and 5) to which it is operatively related through the arm I89 as illustrated in Figure 5. An adjustable stop bar I89a is mounted by a locking bolt H8 on the control slide I08 and is adapted to be engaged by the swingable tripping finger I85 when the ram bar 93 reaches the end of advancing travel desired and determined by the specific adjustment made beforehand.

The operation of the upsetting machine of the invention is accomplished by the combined control of electrical and hydraulic circuits for effecting the heating of the bar or rod to be upset to a deforming temperature while moving the rod in a direction toward the anvil against which the upset is made.

Initially, the anvil head is adjusted to its desired position relative to the retarded position of the sliding clamp 54, this being accomplished through the rotation of the locking collars 24 and 25 (Figure l). A desired selection of voltage from the transformer is made through the selector switch III (Figure 6) connected to select a desired tap on the secondary of the transformer 48 in a manner well-known. The transformer 48 may be operated from a commercial source of electrical power. The motor II2 (Figures 1 and 2) drives a fluid pump I93 developing sufficient fluid pressure for various hydraulic cylinders of the control system.

Referring to Figure 3, the hydraulic circuit of the apparatus is illustrated wherein the hydraulic fluid reservoir H4 supplies fluid to pump H3, fluid under pressure from the latter going by way of the lines H5 and H6 to four-way valves H1 and H8 respectively. The four-way valves are of conventional construction which, in two output lines, will provide flow in reversable directions and have a neutral position for the valve actuating member wherein the valve by-passes fluid pumped to it back to the fluid reservoir.

In the one case, the valve H8 actuated by the lever H9 serves the clamping cylinder 61 by its output line I 20 and the ram cylinder 88 by its output line I2I. The line I 2! includes a flow regulator I22 adjusted by means of the adjusting dial I23 (Figure 1) and is by-passed by the maximum pressure check valve I24 whereby the range of pressure operation of the ram cylinder 88 is entirely outside and above the pressures necessary to actuate the clamping cylinder 51. Accordingly, when the valve H8 is actuated by movement of the lever H9 causing pressure flow on the lines I20 and I'll to the cylinders 51 and 88, the clamping cylinder will cause the closing of the jaws of the sliding clamp about a work piece placed in the liner part 15 of the lower jaw 64b thereof. After sufficient pressure is developed to overcome the control of the flow regulator 23, the ram cylinder will be actuated to cause the workpiece to be moved toward the anvil block 49.

It will be appreciated that in placing the workpiece in the machine, the workpiece should be moved to a position of firm engagement with the anvil block 49 before electrical current is caused to flow between the sliding clamp and the anvil head in order to insure a firm electrical contact.

Upon actuation of the lever II9, and valve I8, hydraulic pressure builds up in the cylinder 88 and the cylinder 67 to a value determined by the setting of the dial I2I controlling the flow regulator I22. The flow regulator is thus adjusted for each series of workpieces of the same size upon which an identical upsetting operation is to be effected. The pressure developed in the cylinder 88 is not suflicient to cause deformation of the workpiece throughout its length and accordingly, when the switching button I25 is actuated by the operator, the workpiece will heat in that region between the sliding clamp 54 and the anvil block 49. The pressure of the hydraulic system acting through the ram will cause the workpiece to move at a rate of feed determined by the plasticity of the workpiece next the anvil block 49. The length of the workpiece fed is determined by engagement of the swingable tripping finger I05 with the adjustable stop bar I09, causing the control slide to move toward the head end of the machine, thus rotating the emergency shut-oiT lever I58 and the control rod I 26 thereof to actuate the valve I I 8 to reverse its flow, thus immediately opening the jaws of the sliding clamp 54 and causing the ram bar 93 to retract. The operative relation of the rod I26 with the valve 1 I8 is accomplished in a conventional manner not shown but which involves normally biasing the valve II8 for reverse flow. Thus, the jaws of the clamp 54 will normally be open and the ram bar 93 normally retracted. The lever H9 in its connection with the valve H8 is locked in the actuated position by a suitable triggering device (not shown) triggered by rotation of the rod I26.

An electrical limit switch (not shown) is mounted for actuation by the control slide in conjunction with a triggering of a release of the valve H8 to the reverse position described so that electrical power fed to the workpiece is cut oil the end of the mechanical cycle in the upsetting operations.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that at the end of the mechanical cycle, the ram bar 93 will return to the retracted position and the jaws of the sliding clamp 54 will automatically open.

In conjunction with the above, the sliding clamp 54 is moved in predetermined manner by control of the four-way valve II I actuated by the lever I21.

Referring also to Figure 4, it will be observed that the lever I21 is pivotally mounted on the bracket- I28 forming the projecting end of a rotatable sleeve I29 carrying on its inner end I30, a lever I3I connecting to the valve II1 for actuation of the latter. The valve H1 is normally biased in a position to cause flow to the cylinder 5'! in such direction that the sliding clamp 54 is in its most forward position and closest to the anvil block 49. Accordingly, when the lever I2? is actuated by rotating the same to cause the valve II! to reverse its flow in the lines I32 and I33, the sliding clamp 54 will be retarded at a constant rate determined by the pressure in the system and friction. If it is desired to modify the rate of retraction of the sliding clamp 54, the lever I27 is pressed toward the machine to cause the actuating rod I34 to operate the needle valve I35 to increase the resistance of the fluid flow and thereby slow down the rate of retraction.

The rate of withdrawal of the sliding clamp 54 in conjunction with the initial adjustment of the distance between the anvil block 49 and the sliding clamp and the characteristics of the workpiece, will give a reproducible control over the form of upsets formed on the machine.

It is intended that the present disclosure should not be construed in any limiting sense other than that indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Apparatus for upsetting a rod, comprising in combination: a machine bed; a stationary head mounted on said bed and having an anvil block serving as one electrical contact; a ram for moving a rod axially in a direction toward the anvil block to cause the rod to engage the anvil block under predetermined pressure; a clamp having a pair of jaws for making an electrical contact to the rod at a point between the anvil block and the ram; means electrically isolating the clamp and the anvil block, a source of electrical current connected to the clamp and anvil block for causing that portion of the rod extending therebetween to heat to a deforming temperature and under action of said predetermined pressure from said ram, to upset against said anvil block; means associated with said ram for substantially maintaining the pressure of engagement of the rod against said anvil block while the rod is being upset thereagainst; means independent of said ram for controllably moving said clamp in a direction away from said anvil block while the rod is being upset against the latter; a double-acting hydraulic cylinder for actuating the jaws of said clamp; a second double-acting hydraulic cylinder for actuating said ram; a third double-acting hydraulic cylinder for slidably moving said clamp; means normally hydraulically biasing said cylinders to position said clamp next said anvil block in predetermined spacing therefrom and simultaneously positioning said ram in the retracted position and the jaws of said clamp in the open position.

2. Apparatus for upsetting a rod, comprising in combination: a machine bed; a stationary head mounted on said bed. and having an anvil block serving as one electrical contact; a ram for moving a rod axially in a direction toward the anvil block to cause the rod to engage the anvil block under predetermined pressure; a clamp having a pair of jaws for making an electrical contact to the rod at a point between the anvil block and the ram; means electrically isolating the clamp and the anvil block, a source of electrical current connected to the clamp and anvil block for causing that portion of the rod extending therebetween to heat to a deforming temperature and under action of said predetermined pressure from said ram, to upset against said anvil block; means associated with said ram for substantially maintaining the pressure of engagement of the rod against said anvil block while the rod is being upset thereagainst; means independent of said ram for controllably moving said clamp in a direction away from said anvil block while the rod is being upset against the latter; a double-acting hydraulic cylinder for actuating the jaws of said clamp; a second double-acting hydraulic cylinder for actuating said ram; a third double-acting hydraulic cylinder for slidably moving said clamp; a source of hydraulic pressure for said cylinders; means connecting said cylinders hydraulically in parallel to said source; means associated with said ram cylinder determining a minimum pressure at which the same may be actuated, corresponding to initial clamping pressure in said clamping cylinder; a reversible valve between said source, said clamping cylinder, and said ram cylinder; and an independent reversible valve between said source and said third cylinder.

3. Apparatus for upsetting a rod, comprising in combination: a machine bed; a stationary head mounted on said bed and having an anvil block serving as one electrical contact; a ram for moving a rod axially in a direction toward the anvil block to cause the rod to engage the anvil block under predetermined pressure; a clamp for making an electrical contact to the rod at a point between the anvil block and the ram; means electrically isolating the clamp and the anvil block, a source of electrical current connected to the clamp and anvil block for causing that portion of the rod extending therebetween to heat to a deforming temperature and under action of said predetermined pressure from said ram, to upset against said anvil block; means associated with said ram for substantially maintaining the pressure of engagement of the rod against said anvil block while the rod is being upset thereagainst; means independent of said ram for controllably moving said clamp in a direction away from said anvil block while the rod is being upset against the latter; a source of fluid pressure; a doubleacting hydraulic cylinder for actuating said ram; a double-acting hydraulic cylinder for actuating said clamp; a valve device communicating said source of fluid pressure to said ram cylinder and said clamp cylinder; means operatively relating the communication of fluid pressure to-said cylinder; and means regulating the rate of flow of fluid pressure to said ram cylinder to a value less than the rate of flow to said clamp cylinder, to provide actuation of said ram only upon actuation of said clamp in gripping said rod and maintenance of pressure by said clamp about said rod during movement of said ram toward the anvil block.

LORNE F. KNIGHT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS vrdb w, 

